Incentive
by Zaedah
Summary: Not for the first time, it struck her how grateful he was for any little thing she did for him. CharlieClaire.


My take on the episode where the boy scouts go off on their little camping trip. I wasn't invited, but all is forgiven. I own no one and nothing.

**Incentive**

He was a wreck. Well, more than usual, Claire amended as she watched him. He hadn't been sleeping as it was and today brought an invitation that caused all the anxiety she'd been working to relieve him of to resurface. Desmond, Hurley, Jin and Charlie talked 50 feet from her but she didn't need to hear the words. Reading Charlie was easy at any distance. The oft-shifting stance, the fidgeting hands, the visible tension in his shoulders. A wreck. He didn't want to go, despite Desmond's assurance that the camping trip had nothing to do with the visions the Scotsman periodically received of Charlie's impending death. Truth be told, Claire was anxious too, but it manifested more plainly in Charlie. After all, it was his life that the island sought to extinguish. But she had one thing Charlie lacked. Faith in them. Fate hadn't brought them together just to tear them apart. She wouldn't allow it.

Once the men's conversation ended, the group each dispersed in various directions. Desmond slapped Charlie's shoulder lightly before walking away. He didn't see Charlie flinch at the contact. Claire, however, missed nothing. Desmond's flash showed someone being found and he required Charlie's participation along with everyone else that appeared in the vision. When Charlie told her, she didn't argue or confess her reservations. She knew he shared them. So while he spoke to the others, she dutifully prepared his backpack, making sure to include his hoodie. It was a bit of a security blanket for him, but she felt better knowing he had it. Though, in truth, she'd been a bit reluctant to part with it herself. It carried his spicy vanilla scent and curling up with it tonight had crossed her mind.

Charlie approached Claire's tent, eyes downcast in thought. And worry. He was tired and she wanted nothing more than to lie with him on her mat and let him sleep. Protect him from the dangerous plans of this island. Bed-sharing was a step she intended to institute upon his return. She quite liked the sound of it and suspected he would too. Maybe they could soothe each other's nightmares. Plus there was that other advantage…

"Hey," he greeted quietly and she realized she'd spaced out just a bit. The blush crept up at the images she'd been summoning.

Casting a quick eye to her sleeping son, Claire met Charlie with a smile. It wasn't quite returned but his eyes displayed his deep appreciation for her presence. It always made her feel so precious to him when he looked at her this way.

"So, we're about to go," he began. "Lacking essential camping stuff, mind. But maybe we'll find a marshmallow tree out there and it'll all be worthwhile." It was classic Charlie, letting humor mask everything. But today she let him have his coping mechanism.

"Bring some back for me and Aaron?" She teased and it earned her a grin.

"Might be too young for such a sugary stimulant. Better look for a pacifier plant, yeah?" That mischievous glint emerged in his eyes. "And maybe something for Aaron as well."

She slapped his arm for the insult, relishing how he didn't flinch at her touch as he did with everyone else's. His smile lit brighter even as he leaned down to grab his bag. It was heavier than he expected. Not anticipating the work of packing having been done for him, he took her hand for a moment.

"Thanks."

Not for the first time, it struck her how grateful he was for any little thing she did for him. Which made her a bit sad, as it proved he was not used to simple kindness. The seriousness had returned to his features. Claire watched as the burden of this death sentence settled upon him once more. He released her hand and moved to nab his guitar, but she blocked his way. Before she could reign in the impulse, Claire leaned in to gently kiss him. Her hands tangled in his hair, trapping him in her grip. Not that he seemed to mind. Her tongue sought his, making demands of him that Charlie fully obeyed. His hands found her hips as her arms slid around his neck, drawing him closer. There may have been an island full of eyes witnessing their intimate exploration, but it failed to deter them. Not so subtly rubbing her body against his, Claire felt more than heard Charlie's groan. He intensified the kiss then, his hands slipping just under her shirt's hem to knead the flesh of her waist. It was her turn to vocalize her pleasure, a moan escaping that the Others probably heard. A moment later, Charlie ended it all as suddenly as she'd begun it.

"What was that for?" He asked in a pant and feminine pride surged at his breathless state. Of course, she shared it.

Looking up from under veiled lashes, Claire murmured, "Incentive," she paused to brush her lips to his lightly, "to come back."

"Didn't need a reason to come back," he confessed in a husky tone that sent her nerves ablaze. "Still, just to be sure…"

When he capturing her lips, Claire briefly registered that this was the first kiss he'd ever initiated with her. But logic quickly left her as his tongue teased hers, sweeping her mouth possessively. And the familiarity of it made it seem they'd been lovers all along. Her passion-fogged mind supplied the word for it; right. It was right and to hell with the doubts and flashes and mistakes. She tried to tell Charlie this with her body, but it wasn't enough. He had to know and that required actual words. Pulling away, Claire cradled his face in her hands, securing his focus.

"This is real, Charlie. Not the polar bears or smoke or visions. This. Us." Her voice was firm, willing him to believe it too.

Charlie looked down, as he always did when uncomfortable and her heart sank. But she wasn't disappointed long. His gaze returned to hers, something close to resolve brewing in those baby blues.

"Then don't let me screw it up, yeah?"

"Deal." And she sealed it with a kiss.

Laundry folding was tedious. But the chore served as a time waster as Claire waited for Charlie to return. Her eyes floated between Aaron, her gradually shrinking pile and the jungle's edge. Sun had stopped by earlier to chat, the women having quite a bit in common lately. There weren't many relationships on the island and Sun, being closer to Claire's age than Rose, helped alleviate some of Claire's 'what if' worries. What if he returned to his drug habit? What if the dreams began again? What if Desmond lied about his motive for this camping trip? But he'd saved Charlie more than once already with the information gleaned from his flashes. There was no reason to believe he'd stop now. Sun was convincing, but the nagging sensation in the back of Claire's brain didn't entirely fade. She prayed her incentive was enough to bring him back to her.

When Desmond first confessed the visions to him, Charlie hadn't intended to tell her. But she felt the change in him, so severe that she could pinpoint the night, nearly the hour. The Brit's emotions were mercurial, shifting from one extreme to the other with little warning. Perhaps a bit bipolar, she mused but quickly dismissed the notion. The fact that he'd decided to keep this death sentence from her had angered her. At the same time, though, she couldn't really claim to be surprised. His overriding need to protect himself from everyone and everything was no secret. It was something she still hoped to ease with time.

He had to stop hiding from her and be willing to share events and thoughts without fear of judgment. But she recognized that trying to force him into it only made it worse. Charlie had to choose to trust her. Such a kind-hearted man, she marveled at how difficult it was for him to trust. Looking to Aaron, laying fussing in his cradle, Claire sighed. It would take both she and the baby to win over Charlie's instinctively wary side. She hoped they were up to the task.

Just after feeding Aaron, movement appeared out of the corner of her eye. Turning sharply to the left, a group was spotted approaching camp, a stretcher being carried with them. Before the scream could erupt, she saw him, walking with the men. Claire jumped up from her seat and took off at a run. Bystanders scattered in the wake of the frantic woman heading full speed toward them. All but Charlie. He stopped in his tracks, waiting for her to reach him. And when she did, she nearly knocked him over in her rush to hold him. Somehow maintaining his balance, Charlie wrapped her tight in his embrace as she cried. Claire hadn't realized how scared she'd been until this moment. Nothing short of kissing him would bring her peace and she refused to let anything stop her from obtaining what they both needed. By his response, Charlie obviously agreed.

Once seated in her tent, Claire began the arduous task of questioning him. It was an art form really, and one she was just starting to perfect. She'd long ago learned that Charlie was not one for details, especially when there was something to hide. And by the short, practiced answers he gave, she knew there had been more to the camping trip than he was letting on. Something happened. Something he didn't want her to know about. Where once she would have accused him of not trusting her, Claire understood now that he did this to protect them both. In his mind, keeping her in the dark meant she wouldn't worry, or worse, judge. Not willing to start a fight, she let it go for the moment, too happy at his safe return to spoil it.

The details were sketchy but she understood the possible significance of the woman they rescued. If they would get off this island before it had a chance to kill him…A million thoughts ran rampant in her mind, all to say a single thing. They could be together. Living a normal life. Well, as normal as she fancied Charlie got. But that was what made their relationship so perfect. His moods may be ever changing but the essence of the man was not. Excepting the dark time neither could explain, but she now suspected it was another trick of the island to try to get to him. But it failed then and she was desperate to believe it would fail again.

There was so much riding on their caution. Health, happiness and their very lives hinged on careful steps on this island. But perhaps, a bit of caution-to-the-wind was in order tonight. Perhaps they'd been careful long enough. Perhaps…a little more incentive could go a long way. She grinned a bit, knowing he was watching these thoughts tumble about in her brain. While a normal life seemed a pipe dream at best, maybe a normal night for the abnormal couple was in order.


End file.
